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Volunteers sought for Sandy 'blitz'

Oren Fliegelman, Correspondent;
7:57 a.m. EDT May 15, 2014

Only pilings remained of several bayfront homes on Parker Road in Tuckerton in November 2012. The road is to be rebuilt with a state grant.
PRESS FILE PHOTO Only pilings remain of several bayfront homes on Parker Road in Tuckerton. PETER ACKERMAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER NJ Sandy2012 110212 - Tuckerton - Only pilings remain of several bayfront homes on Parker Road. Damage from Hurricane Sandy in Tuckerton Beach section of Tuckerton - Peter Ackerman/Staff Photographer - 11/03/12 - tuck121102d(Photo: PETER ACKERMAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

A group of local churches is aiming to reignite recovery from superstorm Sandy in Tuckerton and Little Egg Harbor, two Shore areas that were hit hard by the storm.

Members of the Greater Tuckerton Ministerial Association are organizing a "neighborhood blitz" on Saturday in the two municipalities, walking door-to-door to meet with residents who need help and to document what homes still need to be rebuilt.

A year and a half after the storm, it is frustrating how much recovery work still needs to be done, said the Rev. Merideth Mueller, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Tuckerton and one of the leaders of the event.

"It was a really vibrant, active community out there on the water" before the storm, she said. "Now you go out, and it's quiet. It's way too quiet."

A major problem with the ongoing recovery is that so little is known about which families still need help and what resources are available for them, she said. There's money to help those affected by Sandy, but there needs to be better information about who needs it and where it should go.

"There's a very profound lack of information," she said, "There's just not a lot of good numbers: how many houses were affected [by Sandy], how many houses were torn down, how many houses are up for sale."

The plan is to canvass the approximately 5,000 properties in the area, document their status and record whether people are living in them, Mueller said. By gathering better information about the number of families affected by the storm and what houses still need to rebuilt, it will be easier to organize assistance and recovery funds.

She also hopes that it will show those still recovering from the storm that they have neighbors who want to help.

"Our main goal is to connect with our neighbors," Mueller said. We want to "let folks know that they're not alone and their community does care about them."

Ultimately, the goal is to restart the recovery and reconnect the community.

"The rest of the world pretty much thinks that everything's better," she said. "And it's not. For a lot of those folks, it's just not better."

Volunteers will meet at the First Presbyterian Church of Tuckerton for a quick training session at 9 a.m., said Mueller. Then, they will split into pairs with each group canvassing four streets and handing out home-baked cookies as they go, finishing by early afternoon. While the organizers hope for at least 70 volunteers, each extra set of eyes and legs would be a huge help, she said.

A neighborhood blitz like this is a new idea, said Muller, but it's an experiment that's worth a shot.

"That's the big mystery: Will this work?" she asked. "And will it be a model that we can then invite other neighborhoods to participate in?"

how to help

The Greater Tuckerton Ministerial Association is looking for as many volunteers as possible to help with the neighborhood blitz. Volunteers should arrive at the First Presbyterian Church, at 210 E. Main St., Tuckerton, by 9 a.m. on Saturday. Free T-shirts will be handed out and a lunch will be provided. All volunteers must be at least 18 years old, although children with families are more than welcome. For more information and to register, call the church at 609-296-8894.